I slept well for the first time in ten years. I woke with the faint memory of a sweet dream in my mind. Through my small window I saw that the day was blazing with late morning sun. I rose from the small bed and winced when my feet hit the cold wooden floor. I was going to have to start wearing socks. I looked over to where Matthias had slept, but he wasn’t there. My heart sank. I knew he had to leave, but I had hoped he would say goodbye. I wondered if the last few days had meant anything to him, or if he had just done everything so that he could be free from the blood bond with the Brotherhood.
I turned when I heard the door open. Then I saw Matthias’s smiling face as he walked into the room. My heart skipped at the sight of him. He hadn’t left yet; I would at least get to say good bye. My heart sank again at the thought of saying good bye to Matthias.
“You missed breakfast, but I saved you something. I remember you used to like these” he said as he held out a large bright red apple. I stared at it and tried to remember what it would taste like; I remembered that I used to eat apples, but it seemed like a different life. I took the apple from his hand. I savored the crisp tartness as I bit into the waxy skin. When I looked up I saw that Matthias’s smile had widened.
“How is it?” he asked.
“Amazing” I said in-between bites. Nothing had ever tasted as good as that apple.
“Aren’t you supposed to be gone?” I asked.
“I have to leave tonight, but today I’m taking you to the beach” he said. I followed him out of my room and into the cool morning; we didn’t have to walk far till we were standing on the rocks watching the clear blue waves crash against the white sands. Matthias smiled at me and held out his hand. I took his hand and savored the warmth I felt. It was odd to be able to feel the warmth of skin and the chill in the air.
As we climbed down the rocks to the beach I slipped, and I would have fallen hard onto the rocks if Matthias hadn’t been there to catch me. I laughed; human reflexes were just one more thing I was going to have to get used to again. Matthias looked at me like I was going crazy, but then he laughed.
“I guess I’ll have to get used to walking as a human again” I said.
“It’s a good thing I’m here to catch you” he said. I smiled; it felt good to not be alone, to know that there was someone to catch me when I fell. After today I would be alone, and there wouldn’t be anyone to catch me.
When we were back on the beach I watched as Matthias removed his shoes, and I did the same. The sand enveloped my feet in its soft, warm embrace. I closed my eyes and wiggled my toes in the sand. When I opened my eyes I saw Matthias staring at me. His face didn’t wear the same smug grin that it usually did. In its place was sadness.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“I wish things could have been different with us. I can’t imagine what your life has been like” he said.
“Worrying about the past doesn’t change it. What happened to us happened, and there is nothing we can do about it, but you can let me enjoy this day” I said. The last thing I wanted to think about today was the last ten years, and I didn’t want Matthias’s pity. I shot him a smile before turning to run into the ocean. The cool waves felt good under the hot sun. I let the waves submerge and wash over me. Then I felt a hand pulling me out of the water.
“You’re not immortal anymore. You have to be more careful” he said. Then I splashed him in the face. I didn’t mean for it to be that high, but the look on his face made me laugh. Then he splashed me back even harder. I smiled and raised my hand to splash him back, but before my hand touched the water a wall of water raised itself between us. I looked at my hands and raised them even higher. The wall mimicked my movements. I lowered my hands hoping that the wall would fall back into the ocean. The wall did fall to the ocean, but first it fell on Matthias and knocked him flat on his butt. I covered my gasp with my hand as I gave him a hand to help him up.
“I didn’t mean to do that” I told him.
“Sure you didn’t” he said with doubt in his voice.
“I promise; I didn’t” I said, and we both laughed. I didn’t even notice that I was in his arms until his lips were on mine. His lips were soft and firm on mine, and I felt a warm ache start in my core. I felt his hand stroke the back of my neck and a shiver ran down my spine. Then I felt his lips leave mine to kiss a trail down to the base of my neck. The tips of his fingers made a trail up and down my arms. He led me back up to the beach and then down onto the waiting blanket. We laid on the beach quietly, long enough for the sun to move just slightly west.
“Do you remember senior skip day?” he asked me. I hadn’t thought of that day for a long time.
“How could I forget the first time I saw the beach. We drove to the Gulf and walked on the beach” I told him.
“I thought vampires forgot their human lives” he said.
“We do, but it takes time and people or things can trigger memories” I said.
“So one day you would have forgotten me” he said.
“Yes” I said. He didn’t know how close I had come to forgetting. “But now that I’m here…” I trailed off. Now that I was here I wouldn’t forget about him. I wouldn’t become the monster that I could have become.
“Yeah, now that you’re here…” he said. Matthias had brought me to this beautiful place where I could be human. He had given me this wonderful new life, but it didn’t mean anything if he wasn’t in it. He had made me human again, but he was taking away the only reason I wanted to be human.
“But we have today” I said. I chose not to think about tomorrow. I chose not to think about how I was going to live as a human, knowing that I would never see Matthias again. When I was a vampire there seemed like there was always hope that I would see him again, but now I knew that I would have a life without him.
“Yes, we have today” he said then he took my hand and together we ran into the ocean, letting the waves crash against our bodies. I noticed how our bodies just seemed to fit together like they were made for the other. I tried not to think about the fact that this would be our last day together. This would be the only chance I had to feel the warmth his body lent mine as he held me. This would be the last time I would feel the stubble on his cheek as his face nuzzled mine. This would be the last time I kissed the spot next to his ear lobe, and the last time I would hear the resulting groan that escaped his lips.
Then his lips were on mine. His lips moved with my lips in a dance that was older than time. His kiss filled me with a warmth that I thought I would never feel again. My body felt heavy, but my head was light. I felt like he was anchoring me to the ground and floating into the heavens with me at the same time. I wanted to be closer to him; I needed to be closer to him. I wanted to stay in this moment forever. I would remember this feeling for the rest of my life. I would cherish this memory every day of my life.